When I was a kid we went to late service on Christmas Eve and usually stayed up at least until midnight to watch either A. Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s, B. A Christmas Carol (the Alistair Sims version) or C. Whatever special PBS was replaying after the earlier schedule. One year that stands out to me was when we watched The Snowman, the animated production based on British author/ illustrator Raymond Briggs’ picture book of the same name. Here it is, complete with original intro. If you’re still up, sit down with some cocoa and the family and enjoy this timeless 1982 special. Courtesy Xbeps’s Channel

That pilot looks an awful lot like Wile E. Coyote! In this cute specail, a Comet the reindeer looks for someone she can carry back home to help thwart the coyote-looking wolf’s plans to ruin Christmas and finds Raggedy Ann and Andy. Courtesy DoctorManchu

I remember 1986 as being an EXCELLENT year for toys, tv and films. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see what our parents were saving up to get us for Christmas that year in this collection of 1986 Christmas ads. Courtesy the TjTube

The Love Boat, to me as a kid, had the longest possible opening ever. How many stars could they squeeze within a one-show segment and still have a storyline? Turns out quite a few. Here are some highlights from the 1980 Christmas episode. Courtesy kalli2 And this cute clip featuring Judith Barsi (voiced Ann-MArie in All Dogs go to Heaven) from the 1986 Christmas episode: Courtesy Suaviterinmodo